Hook 'em!

I made the mistake of having a drink last night. I thought since it was Fri nite, I could sleep in on Sat AM and sleep off the effects of the drink. Not so much. Poor Mateo was up all night complaining of an earache. I took him to my bed and back to his crib 3 times. He finally slept from 6am to 9:20am straight. I didn't think he'd want to go to his sports class b/c he didn't sleep well, but he was excited to see Coach Doug. We went to the class were he refused to participate in snapping or punting the football. He just wanted me to chase him around the gym.
The rest of the day I tried to clean the house, but Mateo can be quite the obstacle. During his naptime I was able to finally hang up some pictures in the dinning room. After his nap we went to the neighbor's house to play. His friend will be 3 in Jan and so she's in the midst of potty-training. While we were there she advised her Dad she needed to go potty and he ran upstairs with her where she successfully used it. As she squealed about her accomplishment from upstairs, Mateo yelled, "you a big girl, Audy!"

Chayla got a 95 on her diorama! She spent all day outside, even forfeiting her lunch. I guess when you are 9 and are allowed to play outside all day you will forgo many things. When she finally came in she got down to business. You should've seen her practicing her violin...plucking at the strings and trying the bow. The pizzicato (plucking) is much easier on the ears. This is the next project that is due, the Kachina Doll.


No call from Freddie today, but I'm hopeful it'll happen soon. Can't wait to tell him the UT beat Colorado 38-13 making them 5-0 going to the Red River Rivalry next week AND that Navy beat Airforce!

Port of Call

Today I decided to say goodbye to Mateo before I left for work instead of just sneaking out. I squatted next to him, gave him a kiss, and told him I was going to work. Next thing you know he had jumped onto my lap, grabbed my neck, and proclaimed that he was going to work too. Dora came to the rescue though and I had to sneak out the side door. This evening I was playing with him and Mr. Potato head. I told him that the mustache won't going to stick to the eyeballs. When I showed him how it worked he exclaimed, "good point, mami!" When I took him downstairs to say goodnight to abuelo, my Dad asked him if he was "pipi". Mateo proclaimed, "not yet; mami changed me." His increasing cognizance and vocabulary not only makes me laugh, but makes me proud. He is such a joy.

Yesterday morning Chayla woke up, gave a big stretch and as she recoiled back to her pillow she slammed her chin into the bed. This morning she did it again but slammed her mouth into the bed...the mouth that now has braces! Ouch! She looked like she was in a fight, poor thing. As I type she is at a sleepover across the street with her adopted Vietnamese family enjoying a WWE Smackdown.

I got all sorts of exciting news today. My dear friend from grad school, Esme, text me to announce she has joined the Obama ticket. A big move by a conservative, religious gal that grew up in TX and used to date a Marine. I think she even voted for Bush in '04 (gasp!). I'm so proud of her! At work, another group I am participating in got funding. This one will be a support group for young mothers at the school. Thank goodness the budget crisis hasn't quite hit this level of education funding. A mom from our playgroup, who is also a good friend here in MD, had her baby today. We are very excited for Alison J. and her growing family. Although she was 9 months pregnant she was thoughtful enough to invite us over to her house for dinner to provide me with a respite from cooking for the kids. I'll be happy to return the favor soon.

A few days ago I had a dream in which I was speaking to Freddie. I paused in mid-conversation ans asked if he was here did that mean he was staying or going back on the sub? He told me he was here for now but would rejoin the sub until Dec. I was upset but understood his position. Today I received an email from his coworker who is here in MD. This was the final piece of good news I received today. Freddie will be making an unexpected port of call within the next few days so I will be able to talk to him by phone 20 days earlier than I expected. While I don't expect him to be able to return to us soon, at least we will be able to hear his voice again.

Cooperation

Just got back from watching the Biden-Palin debate. Since my expectations were low, I think she did better than I thoght she would. I know some 10th graders who could've come up with better answers though. Geez.

I co-oped today. It went MUCH better than last time. I arrived on time and Mateo was very cooperative. He hung out while I helped prepare the class for the day and only cried when he had to stay in the playground while I stood in the parking lot for drop-off duty. Today they had a special visitor, Ms. Betsy, their music teacher. She successfully engaged the only two girls in the class while most of the boys cried or just sat and watched. I'm convinced that women are really the ones who are the born-leaders.

Mateo did well with the other children until we got in line to wash our hands. E pushed Mateo in line. Then he pushed him in the bathroom (they were fighting for the hand dryer)and Mateo stood his ground and pushed him back. E is 3 inches taller. As a fan of Mixed Martial Arts and Boxing, Freddie would be proud of his not-to-be-bullied son. He grew more confident every moment. By the end of class he was asking his teacher: Kafy, what you doin Kafy? He's normally the serious, silent type. Today was progress!

I took Mateo to his weekly playgroup and Chayla stayed home to play with her friends, as she has already completed her Kachina doll 6 days in advance and had no HW. At the playground I could see how Mateo has benefited from school. He interacted with his friends and even the big boys there. He tried to include the girls in play and help them come down from high places. Que cute! When we got home Chayla was in the backyard w/her friends but a few minutes later they rang the front door. I open it to find 4 kids, three holding instruments and one a hat with a note attached to it. It read: "Music for money". They had collected $2.25 from neighbors. I wonder if they knew Chayla only started her violin lessons today!

The weather has finally changed. It was the first day that it was cool from dawn to dusk. As I drove up our street I noticed the trees have begun to change color. It's a nice way to start October and it's a nice reminder that we're that much closer to Freddie's homecoming.

Un día normal

Our house is so fickle. One day the basement ceiling is leaking, the next the kitchen floor is buckling, and today the lights (and only the lghts) from my bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and dining room stopped working. It's impossible to put on make up under these conditions.

The Latina mentoring group had its first meeting today. They were a little wary of being there. We asked them to answer some questions, like "when I graduate I want to..." One young lady answered "Get the F outta Maryland." At least she's honest. At home, my littlest Latina mentee (Chayla ;) asked me about how colleges decide if they want you: "Do they want to see your portfolio?" My kid is awesome. The importance of my job at home is never lost.

I attended Mateo's Nursery school's parent meeting (it's a co-op). Two and a half hours of info on bake sales and craft fairs. I have to make 4 receipes for the bake sale so please forward any faves. I need all the help I can get. Before I left, Mateo asked for water so I gave him a choice of the Batman or the Spiderman cup. He looked up into the cupboard and chose the Obama mug instead! I love my little politico.

Closing out September

We had a fairly calm day thanks to the Jewish New Year. We feasted on a grand spread of Jewish foods like Keugal and Challah at Stacey's. It felt like Thanksgiving.



Mateo couldn't wait to see Clooney. While I ate breakfast he brought over my flip-flops and told me to put them on. He had to go see Stacey and Clooney! Not only did he enjoy Clooney's company he also got to climb a fence at the dog park.





Our little garden gave up its first harvest (I use that term losely). We picked our first tomatoe. We planted pepper and watermelon and we have flowers and melons, but it's unlikely we'll actually get anything to grow enough in what's left of the warm weather.

I asked Mateo if he was a baby and his clear-as-day response was, "no, I'm a biiig boy!" He certainly is.

Shanah Tovah

Tomorrow is the start of the Jewish New Year and the beginning of the High Holy Days so none of us have to go to school (gotta love the East Coast). I'm glad I don't have to get up early, but I like my job, so I'll miss not being there. I got all sorts of great news today. The 9th grade vice principal (who is also Boricua) and I are staring a Latina mentoring group and we learned that it received funding! Unsolicited no less! Now we'll get to take the girls on trips and buy bait, I mean, pizza. Today I found out I will receive an award too. I had a great day today, even if Wall Street did not.

We went to Michael's to buy supplies for Chayla's 2nd Native American Project: the Pueblo Kachina Doll. On the way there Mateo asked me, "Mami, where we going?" When I told him his response was "Holy cow, I like it Michaels!" He's never been to Michael's before. Chayla is in heaven at the craft store so she took off in one direction and Mateo in another. I finally got Mateo into a shopping cart by telling him a monster was going to get him. Little did I know that there actually were scary figures throughout the store in prepapration for Halloween. I guess now he'll listen to me when I ask him to sit in the carrito.

My good friend, Stacey, invited us to have Rosh HaShannah dinner with her tomorrow. It'll be Chayla's 1st Jewish celebration and she's prepared by reading a kid's book I got for her. Mateo is just excited to see Stacey's adorable dog, Clooney. Mateo was in a corner playing quietly, when all of the sudden he blurts out, "I can't wait go to Stacey and Clooney! I can't wait!"

Also of note is "Chayla and Will". Last year she tells me she knows that Will likes her. I asked her how she knew and she said because he looked at her. Well, I laughed, but I guess it was true. When we went to meet the teacher, he followed us home on his bike. Two weekends ago he came by with his dad in their mini-van, but we were out. I told her she could tell him to call beforehand next time he wanted to visit. After checking with me, this morning she gave our number to the neighbor who is still at the same school with Will. Chayla's got game! I'm pretty sure I never had game like that.

I tried to "potty-train" Mateo tonight (not that it can be done in one night). I knew he hadn't gone #2 yet so I took off his wet diaper and slipped on his Spider-Man underoo's. I kept checking him, and reminding him that he needed to use the potty. Afer a bit he came running to me saying "ca-ca". I ran over to him in delight thinking he had given me sufficient warning and he was going to use his potty successfully on the first try. He hadn't pooped on himself...only peed all over Spidey and his Amazing friends.

Dust Bunnies & Violins

It took a lot of trying, but I gathered the energy to clean. This isn't just any cleaning, I cleaned under our King-sized bed! Holy dustballs! Chayla and I swept, vaccumed, and then swiffered under that sucker. I think my shoes, which reside under our bed, were thankful. The cool thing was that I found Freddie's memory box amongst the shoes. I dug up a bunch of old pics from when he was a little boy. Now that Mateo's hair is long, he looks even more like his dad. It's funny to think that one day he'll be a man.

We watched the Goonies today. Mateo was into it for 5 minutes but Chayla was the one that cracked me up. When Andy (the cheerleader) accidentlly kissed Mikey (Sean Astin) she turned her head, covered her mouth, and giggled with embarassment. The funy thing is I remember having the exact reaction when I first saw it back in (dare I say) the 80's!

I took Chayla to rent her violin. It's a very exciting adventure we're embarking upon: a daily 15-minute dose of screaching "twinkle, twinkle little star". Wish me luck. At least she's adorable.



Mateo continues to amaze me. While he was playing with his spoon he placed it on his nose. He then crossed his eyes and looked over at me. He exclaimed, "oh wow! I see two mami's." We also had a great time playing in his clean room. Chayla's old tea set and fake food really triggered his imagination. He was utterly grateful that I made him hotdogs, waffles, and special juice! Check out how fast he can climb up to Chayla's bed (I had barely snapped the pic from above).